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Caught Our Eye

1 in 5 former members of Congress register to lobby

Posted by Jenna Ebersole on April 20, 2015

They leave Congress after losing in primaries, running for governor or resigning in disgrace. And at least one in five registers to lobby.

In the last few years, roughly 20 percent of outgoing members of Congress have filed lobbying registration papers. Arizona Republican Rep. Ben Quayle, the son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, is the most recent former member to join the list, registering to lobby for the first time after leaving Congress in early 2013 and joining Clark Hill PLC several months later.

In the 111th Congress, from 2009-2010, LegiStorm's revolving door records show about 20 percent of members who left, or 27, have served as registered lobbyists. The 112th outgoing list from 2011-2012 numbers 22 or also about 20 percent with Quayle.

It's too early to say how many members from the last Congress will lobby. Of the group departing in the 113th Congress, from 2013-2014, only one has so far passed through the revolving door. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) resigned amid an ethics inquiry in 2014 and has since registered to lobby with Dilworth Paxson LLP. 

However, outgoing senators must comply with a two-year "cooling off period," while members of the House must wait one year to lobby. Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa) has introduced a bill that would ban the activity for life.

LegiStorm revolving door tracking is conservative; it includes only people who have filed lobbying registrations before or after working on the Hill. Many lawmakers and staffers have held jobs in the influence industry without filing lobbying paperwork. Instead, the act as advisers or do not lobby enough to be required to register.